The report to councillors said: “Local authorities have a power and not a duty to provide public toilets.

“The objective of the refurbishment programme is to make it viable for the council to continue providing toilets in the long term, to improve the overall standard and the customer experience within council-owned toilets and to contribute towards budget savings over the next two years and beyond.”

Sarah Booker-Lewis is the Local Democracy Reporter for Brighton & Hove.